THE FAO UNU FOOD COMPOSITION INITIATIVE

The need for food composition data was critical from the very beginnin g of the UN's establishment of FAG. FAO's early development of the Wor ld Food Surveys relied on food composition data. Then, as now, support for agricultural planning and production relied on knowledge about th e content of foods in terms of nutrients to maintain health. Informati on about food components has always been important for quality control of processed and manufactured foods. Similarly, data on food composit ion are crucial when providing assistance to government departments th at need to assess the nutrition status of populations and groups with special physiological needs. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd